MRC Watchdogs churn out breaking news on a daily basis. Don't miss Today's Highlights, where you can keep up with the top MRC content, whether it's the latest study on media bias, a glaring omission from the elitist media, or how the Big Tech companies are serving up the same leftist spin as the media.
Top Stories:
- Angry Tapper UNLOADS on Ex-Trump Aide: You Think Pretti 'Deserved to Be Shot'!
- CNN Host Suggests Guns Should Be Brought to Bear Against ICE Agents
- Egging On Violence: The View Justifies Bringing Guns to Use Against ICE
- CBS Blames Nick Shirley for Minneapolis Unrest Leading to Good, Pretti Dying
Jake Tapper aggressively misrepresents Chad Mizelle's position Tapper angrily accused Mizelle of believing Alex Pretti "deserved to be shot" simply because Mizelle pointed out Pretti's criminal actions (interfering with law enforcement, disobeying commands, resisting arrest, etc.), turning a factual discussion into an inflammatory strawman to deflect blame from inflammatory Democratic rhetoric that may have escalated tensions.
Clear double standard in Tapper's treatment of guests In the same episode of The Lead, Tapper unloaded on former Trump aide Mizelle with heated interruptions and accusations of First Amendment hostility, but later treated St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her (a Democrat) gently when discussing the same issue of whether Gov. Tim Walz's rhetoric contributed to the incident, revealing a bias where conservatives are attacked while liberals are handled softly.
Hypocritical application of incitement standards Tapper repeatedly compared Walz's and Mayor Jacob Frey's anti-ICE statements (calling ICE "Trump’s Gestapo" and telling them to "get the F out") to Trump's January 6 rhetoric, insisting Democratic speech is protected while accusing Mizelle of applying different rules for Trump supporters—yet ignored broader media patterns of downplaying BLM-related violence and riots while endlessly scrutinizing January 6.
Kasie Hunt invoked extremist rhetoric by suggesting that the Second Amendment’s purpose is to take up arms against U.S. law enforcement, specifically citing Minneapolis unrest as a justification for viewing the federal government as “tyrannical.” Hunt quoted a tweet about the Second Amendment being for defense if the government became tyrannical and implied that current events warranted that framing, effectively normalizing the idea of pointing guns at government agents.
In dramatizing an image of a federal agent shooting a protester and framing it as unprecedented government brutality “in America,” Hunt used emotionally charged language and prolonged pauses that blurred the line between reporting and incitement, portraying federal enforcement as akin to tyranny.
By aligning the situation on the streets with rhetoric about armed resistance against one’s own government, Hunt’s comments irresponsibly flirted with justifying violence against federal agents, elevating political discourse to suggest confrontation rather than encouraging lawful investigation and accountability. This escalated a news segment into rhetoric that could embolden viewers to view federal law enforcement as an enemy rather than a constitutionally authorized institution.
The View is inciting violence by framing the Second Amendment as justification for armed confrontation with law enforcement: On a January 26 discussion on The View, co-hosts (especially Sara Haines and Sunny Hostin) suggested the Second Amendment was intended to allow armed resistance if the government “turns on” its people — and thus implicitly justified someone bringing a gun to confront Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis.
Hosts flip flop on gun: The View hosts have previously criticized the Second Amendment or gun rights in other contexts, in this segment they acted like “Second Amendment scholars” by defending armed self-defense against federal agents.
Hosts are dismissive of ICE and sympathetic of agitators: The hosts cast ICE agents as the primary source of violence and minimize law enforcement perspectives.
4. CBS Blames Nick Shirley for Minneapolis Unrest Leading to Good, Pretti Dying
CBS News correspondent Lilia Luciano attributed the chaotic unrest in Minneapolis to a viral video released by independent journalist Nick Shirley, suggesting his reporting triggered the controversy.
During the report, CBS downplayed or failed to acknowledge that U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE had removed dangerous criminals from the Twin Cities, instead emphasizing criticism of federal actions.
The CBS Mornings segment shifted focus away from rioting and confrontations with law enforcement, instead featuring sympathetic interviews and commentary that did not highlight far-left protester actions or obstruction of law enforcement.
